This photo of Emily was taken on February 27, just six days before the accident.

Emily suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) along with other less serious injuries in an auto accident on March 5, 1999. The accident occurred in Logan, Utah as Emily drove to work. Emily was flown to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City due to the seriousness of her injuries.

She remained unconscious for a week in the trauma ICU at LDS Hospital. That was a very long week for us. We are very grateful for the wonderful care that she received there.

While she was unconscious, a MRI was done. The neurosurgeon explained that the MRI showed three areas of bruising in her brain and extensive shearing and tearing. The extent of the damage explained why she was unconscious for so long. The severity of the injury also indicated a long recovery period.

On March 12, Emily finally opened her eyes and looked around the room. She looked from face to face as though she recognized us. However, she didn't sign or vocalize at all.

Emily wasn't able to sit up by herself - she had to be propped up. Her right arm and hand were paralyzed. For several days she was on a ventilator. The ventilation tube was removed on March 16.

She moved to a rehab center at the University Hospital in SLC on March 17. The rehab therapists began working with her on March 18. She "walked" with the assistance of two people, as she couldn't stand by herself.

For the next 6 weeks Emily had therapy every day; speech & language, physical, and occupational therapy. She had to learn to walk, swallow, dress herself, etc. She wasn't able to eat for more than four weeks. She had lots of memory gaps - forgetting people, names, events, etc.

On March 20, Emily finally communicated with us for the first time in sign language. She signed, "Fine" when Dad asked her how she was doing. During the next week she hardly communicated at all but suddenly began conversing on March 28 during a visit by her friend Susan Ostler. She improved each day as her language became more natural and flowing.

On March 29 she started walking by herself. On April 4 she spoke for the first time since the accident. On April 6 she did well enough in the swallowing test that she was able to eat for the first time. However, she still had a feeding tube until April 13.

Emily left the rehab center on April 28. We are thankful for the great doctors, nurses, therapists and staff at the University Medical Center.

Emily lived with her family in Salt Lake City and had therapy four days each week at home. Physically, her movement became more fluid. Her right arm and hand slowly regained a full range of motion. Emily now writes and signs with her right hand. Her typing improved as she used the computer and TTY each day.

Emily's cognitive ability also improved daily. Her reading ability slowly improved. She remembered or relearned former skills. She struggled a lot with abstract thinking and she had some short-term memory lapses. She also had great difficulty focusing on tasks and paying attention for long periods.

Emily had to relearn how to plan and organize. That was one of her talents before the accident. Since she was young, she knew what she wanted to do, where she was going, what was required to get there and when she would arrive.

She planned and cooked several meals for the family during her rehab. Cooking was a good experience for her because she had forgotten so much. When she cooked, she could practice basic math skills, measuring, choosing the correct tools, planning a menu, etc. Some of the meals were difficult to eat because she couldn't mix ingredients well, she measured incorrectly, she used wrong ingredients, etc. But we all survived.

Miraculously, Emily was able to return to USU for fall semester of 1999 but only to audit two classes that she had previously taken. Auditing those classes allowed her to work back into the school routine while her doctors were able to monitor her progress. 

It was not an easy semester for Emily as she lacked stamina and still had memory gaps. However, she did well enough to receive permission to enroll full-time the next semester. She continued until she completed her degree during the 2000-2001 school year and graduated on May 5 2001.

Emily has made remarkable progress. We believe that God had a hand in her recovery. Emily's numerous friends joined us in faith and prayers in her behalf. Anyone who knows Emily, knows of her own faith and strong will. All of this worked together for her good.

We believe the Lord protected Emily during the accident. Given the nature of the accident and the condition of her car after the accident, one has to wonder how she survived. We do not doubt the Lord preserved her life.

I've posted some photos that show Emily's progress during her recovery. View the photos in a slide show.